1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle stand comprising a frame and supporting elements on both sides of a bicycle tire for supporting a bicycle and for retaining it in the vertical direction, whereby the bicycle tire can be pushed between the supporting elements and pulled therefrom, and that the bicycle stand comprises a swivelling axis in the transverse direction with respect to the bicycle tire, a catch that is on top of the tire when the tire is in the bicycle stand in such a manner that the tire cannot be lifted off the bicycle stand, closing means for moving the catch and a guide for guiding the catch on the tire and off the tire, whereby the closing means are arranged to pivot around the swivelling axis and to move together with the guide the catch into a locking position when the bicycle tire pivots with respect to the swivelling axis when pushing the bicycle into the bicycle stand and correspondingly, to move the catch into an open position when the bicycle tire pivots with respect to the swivelling axis when removing the bicycle from the bicycle stand.
2. Description of Related Art
An ordinary bicycle stand, which comprises supporting arches secured to the frame of the stand in such a manner that the bicycle tire rests on the supporting arches, does not provide any security against thefts. A bicycle in the stand having a rear tire locked with a normal bicycle lock can be easily lifted to a waiting van, for instance. It may not necessarily be very useful to lock the front tire to the stand with a separate lock as the front tire can be easily disengaged from the bicycle and it can be left in the stand and the remaining parts of the bicycle can be taken along. The only slightly better alternative is to lock the frame or the back tire of the bicycle to a solid construction with a separate detachable lock. It is difficult to transport the lock and it may be forgotten to be fastened inadvertently or in a hurry. It is also comparatively easy to open this kind of a separate lock, e.g. a spiral lock, with other keys and a safety pin, for example.
DE 40 14 158 discloses a bicycle stand to which bicycles can be lifted to suspend. The stand comprises a securing part supported by which bicycles can be lifted to suspend from their frames. The securing part has a lock and the lock a catch by means of which the bicycle frame is locked to the securing part. The stand is heavy, complicated and therefore expensive and difficult to manufacture. Further, the stand is difficult to use as the bicycle has to be lifted upwards. And also, a separate key included in the lock of the stand has to be used for locking.
FI 923,455 discloses a bicycle stand in which a bicycle is stored suspended on hook-like suspension parts from the handle-bar in the vertical position. The suspension parts can be moved from the removal position of the bicycle, in which the parts are outside the frame parts, to the locking position in which the parts are protected by the frame parts in a slot or a notch. The parts can be locked to each other by means of a padlock fitted to the tongues. The frame parts of the stand have to be secured either to the wall or to a separate stand, whereby the structure will be difficult, complicated and expensive. The bicycle needs to be locked to the stand with a separate padlock and the movable suspension parts are of a light structure which makes it rather easy to wrench them off, whereby the bicycle will get stolen.